Serena Jameka Williams is an American retired professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.
Serena Williams: Crip walk| Husband shirt| Who did lose to
Crip Walk:
The buses of New York perversely carry images of last year’s losing finalists, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, to promote the 2012 US Open, which starts on Monday.
Nadal, injured, is not here but Williams, bouncing with fitness, brio and pedigree that mocks her No4 seeding, most definitely is.
We were reminded of her considerable presence when she responded acidly to questions on Saturday about her supposedly controversial “crip walk” to celebrate her Olympic triumph over Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon three weeks ago.
Husband Shirt:
While cheering on wife Serena Williams at the US Open on Friday, the Reddit co-founder wore a shirt with the pair’s 5-year-old daughter’s face on it. Ohanian, 39, accessorized the tee with a black jacket.
The image of Olympia that was featured on the shirt was a picture of her from earlier in the week, when she showed her support for her mom as she began participating in the US Open on Monday.
Olympia was absent during Williams’ final match Friday, when the tennis icon, 40, lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović following three intense sets.
Who did lose to:
The on-court numbers, we know: 23 Grand Slam in singles – the most in Open era – along with 14 doubles and 2 mixed doubles, Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles, two ‘Serena Slams’.
Her off-court impact, particularly for female athletes and players of colour – cannot even be quantified.
But as the she walks into the sunset of her tennis career – days short of turning 41 years old, having started her pro career at 14 – it’s worth remembering another aspect of her legacy, which can fly under the radar when there is just so much to celebrate about this once-in-a-generation athlete: How Serena rose from adversity, how she responded to despair.
